. >> 21 people are dead across the caribbean, including 11 in cuba, after hurricane sandy slammed the region with heavy rains and powerful winds. the late-season storm hit the bahamas late thursday and is now expected to head for the united states. forecasters are warning the storm could collide with another from canada, creating a potentially devastating hybrid that could ravage parts of the u.s. northeast early next week. president obama took a break from campaigning thursday to cast an early ballot in his hometown of chicago. speaking at the polling center, obama encouraged americans to take advantage of early voting. >> for all of you who have not yet voted early, i just want everybody to see what an incredibly efficient process this was, thanks to the outstanding folks who are at this particular polling place. obviously, folks in illinois and take advantage of this. but all across the country, we are seeing a lot of early voting. it means you do not have to figure out whether you need to taint time off work, figure out how to pick up the kids, and still cast your ballot if someth